"Previn became known to a broad public through his television work. In the United Kingdom he worked on TV with the London Symphony Orchestra. In the United States the TV show ""Previn and the Pittsburgh"" (1977) featured him in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Previn is particularly remembered in Britain for his performance as ""Mr. Andrew Preview"" (or ""Privet"") on the ""Morecambe and Wise"" Christmas Show in 1971, which involved his conducting a performance of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto with Eric Morecambe as the comically inept soloist (being swindled into it by being told that Yehudi Menuhin would be"
"demonstrates how the piece should be played but Eric, after a moment's reflection, delivers a verdict of ""Rubbish!"" and he and Ernie walk off in disgust. Previn starts playing Eric's version and the duo rush back, declare that Previn has finally ""got it"" and start dancing ecstatically. The sketch's impact can be assessed by the fact that twenty-five years later, London taxi drivers were still addressing André Previn as ""Mr. Preview"". One of the famous Morecambe and Wise routines was their 1976 Christmas Show parody of the scene from the film ""Singin' in the Rain"" in which Gene Kelly dances"
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1977 TV special) Twas the Night Before Christmas is a Christmas television special loosely inspired by the 1823 poem ""A Visit from St. Nicholas"" by Clement Clarke Moore. It first aired December 7, 1977 on ABC. Directed by Tim Kiley, it stars Paul Lynde, Anne Meara, Martha Raye, and Alice Ghostley. The story is set on Christmas Eve in a New England town in the late 1890s. The Cosgrove family's home is in an uproar over the holidays. The patriarch, Clark Cosgrove (Paul Lynde) is frazzled by the gift demands of his loud children. His"
"Christmas variety show (""All Star Comedy Carnival"") from 1969 to 1973, while the BBC itself resurrected the format in 1982 with a special titled ""The Funny Side of Christmas"". Since its original run, the show has been revived twice, with Fry and Laurie in 1994, and with Michael Parkinson in 2004. The show was voted 24th in the Channel 4 100 Greatest Christmas Moments. Introduced by David Nixon and starring Charlie Chester with Eric 'Jeeves' Grier, The George Mitchell Singers and The Television Toppers, The Beverley Sisters, Charlie Drake with Dave Freeman, Perry Como, Ted Ray with Kenneth Connor, David"
"The Man in the Santa Claus Suit The Man in the Santa Claus Suit is a 1979 American made-for-television Christmas fantasy drama film starring Fred Astaire (in his final television appearance), Gary Burghoff, John Byner and Bert Convy about three different men (a fugitive tramp, a lonely schoolteacher and a divorced father) who all purchase Santa Claus suits for various reasons. The film was originally broadcast on NBC on December 23, 1979. The mysterious owner of a New York costume store (Astaire) sells Santa suits to three different men. He later shows up in various roles (chauffeur, policeman, jeweler, hot"
"of the highest ever audiences in British television history with more than 20 million viewers (the cited figure varies between 21 and 28 million, depending on the source). The duo remain among the most consistently high-rating performers of all time on British television, regularly topping the in-week charts during their heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s. Classic sketches from such shows often revolved around the guest stars. One example is the 1971 appearance of André Previn, who was introduced onstage by Ernie as Andrew Preview. Previn's schedule was extremely tight, and Morecambe and Wise were worried that he had"
"performed were Smile (Though, Your Heart is Breaking), Eye of the Tiger accompanied by sketches of Charlie Chaplin and a boxer. The prize announcers were: Anthony Schaeffer (1984–1985) and later John Benson (1986–87), who had provided the famous voice-over for ""Sale of the Century"". The Christmas editions of the show featured celebrities in place of regular contestants. The first Christmas show for 1978 (but broadcast in January 1979 due to industrial action at ITV) featured three celebrity partners, paired according to their nationality. The winners were Ireland's Terry Wogan and Clodagh Rodgers. The pair eliminated the five prizes available for"
"on TV. This one, wearing glasses, made no apologies for being a precocious Miss Know‐It‐All. For another, Paul Bogart's direction was intelligent, helped considerably by fine performances from Jason Roberts as the father, Lisa Lucas as Addie and, especially, Mildred Natwick as the grandmother."" He summed up his critique by saying ""C.B.S. would seem to have another Christmas perennial on its hands."" (The New York Times article ""TV: 'Tis The Season for Family Entertainment"" by John J. O'Connor - December 6, 1972, p. 95). As a result of its critical acclaim and high ratings, the program was repeated several times"
"the contestants as they tried to compete. Drew Jansen played unctuous Announcer/Musical Commentator Ernie Jansen (aka ""Trip Stuyvesant"" in the original pre-cable pilot). The pre-cable pilot was shot at Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, and featured yet another host, played by John Brady. Brady's name in the pilot was ""Ernie,"" but that name was transferred to Jansen when shooting resumed, primarily because the jacket fit Jansen as well as it had Brady. Another character in the show was ""The Pig"" played by Matt Sarazine. The original shows, pre-Comedy Central also featured ""Butch the Janitor"", played by Nick Schenk, and ""Berni the"
"Nightmare Before Christmas"" after considering which Disney character would celebrate Christmas in the Haunted Mansion, should Santa Claus ever land there on his journey. Steve Davison took the idea and worked with Walt Disney Creative Entertainment to develop the overlay. One issue Disney had to deal with was the fact that many of the key performers in the original attraction – Paul Frees, Leota Toombs, Eleanor Audley, most of the singing busts, and almost all of the original voice actors – had died years earlier. Paul Frees was replaced in his role as the Ghost Host by Corey Burton, who"
"that he can reach his goal and he asks for Dylan's (Reid Ewing) help to transfer the recycling. Meanwhile, Mitchel (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) has to do some last minute shopping since he and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) did not get Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) the right present plus the ""no gift"" invitation from their friend Pepper for his Christmas party turns out to be a ""12 gift"" invitation. While Mitch tries to shop, Cam and Lily go to a charity event where Cam misinterprets the reason of the event. In its original American broadcast, ""The Old Man & the Tree"" was watched"
"The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow is a 1975 Christmas stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions which originally premiered on NBC on December 19, 1975. It is narrated by Angela Lansbury and co-stars Cyril Ritchard. A young shepherd, Lucas, is blinded by lightning, and some nuns at a nearby abbey take him to a stable. Sister Theresa describes snow to Lucas, who has never seen it. Lucas gets chosen to play an angel in the stable's Christmas pageant, and the Christmas snow that"
"casting Martha Raye as his mother-in-law, telling an interviewer: ""It's my chance to repay her for all the times she used me in her NBC ""Comedy Hour"" back in the 1950s."" George Gobel's casting in this production was an apparent coincidence and not related to his appearance three years earlier in a holiday special of the same name, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974 TV special). For the climactic recitation of ""A Visit from St. Nicholas,"" Lynde was not allowed to rely on cue cards because director Tim Kiley felt they would distract the child actors in the cast. Lynde"
"of Christmas Past, Hugh Maynard as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Norman Bowman as Jacob Marley, Peter Polycarpou as Mr Fezziwig, and John Addison as Fred Anderson. The concert production was again at the Lyceum on 11 and 18 December 2017, with Lindsay returning to the role of Scrooge. The opening numbers are ""The Years Are Passing By"" and ""Jolly, Rich, and Fat"". In later productions the two numbers are combined as ""Jolly Good Time."" Scrooge first encounters the three ghosts of Christmas in their real-world guises as a lamplighter (Past), a charity show barker (Present), and a blind beggar"
"the house. When the children ask if the noise came from Santa Claus, Clark initially wants to dispel the myth of Santa Claus. Instead, he appeases them by reciting ""A Visit from St. Nicholas."" <nowiki>'</nowiki>""Twas the Night Before Christmas"" was part of a series of American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television specials starring Paul Lynde. Whereas previous offerings, most notably the 1976 production of ""The Paul Lynde Halloween Special"", relied on a sketch comedy revue format, ""'Twas the Night Before Christmas"" retained a narrative format where Lynde and his castmates remained in character for the entire show. Lynde was responsible for"
"ITV on December 24, 1977. Bing Crosby is surprised to receive a letter from a long-lost relative, Sir Percival Crosby, inviting the family to spend Christmas in England. Bing, his wife Kathryn and their three children – Harry, Mary and Nathaniel – fly off to Britain, reviewing their family history in song and hoping that the invitation is not a case of ""mistaken identity"". At Sir Percy's grand home, they meet Hudson, the butler; Mrs. Bridges, the cook; and Rose, the maid – all of whom are portrayed by Stanley Baxter. Sir Percy's neighbor, David Bowie, stops by to play"
"The Night Before the Night Before Christmas The Night Before the Night Before Christmas is a 2010 Hallmark Channel Original Movie about Angela and Wayne Fox (Jennifer Beals and Rick Roberts) who are workaholic parents. It premiered on the Hallmark Channel on November 20, 2010. Santa sets off on his Christmas duties a day early and crashes into the Fox family's house. He ends up with amnesia and loses his magic sack of presents. The Fox family are a modern and broken family. The parents are preoccupied with work and the kids are not very festive. Forced to set their"
"by giving Teddy an old ornament. When Teddy hangs it on the tree, he sees his dad appear In his reflection, and they both express pride in each other. Back in the North Pole, Santa is updating his book of True Believers, adding Teddy's name to it, when Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn) returns with firewood to tell him about hearing about his adventures. When she Suggest getting one of various Christmas movies to watch, Santa takes out the video recording of his adventure that night and suggests that they watch that. In December 2017, it was reported that Kurt Russell"
"disqualifying any future works initially shown on television. A Christmas Carol (1971 film) A Christmas Carol is Richard Williams's animated adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella. The film was broadcast on U.S. television by ABC on December 21, 1971, and released theatrically soon after. In 1972, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. ""A Christmas Carol"" was directed by Richard Williams and its visual style is also largely due to Ken Harris, credited as ""Master Animator"". It starred Alastair Sim as the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge — a role Sim had previously performed in the 1951 live-action"
"A Christmas to Remember (1978 film) A Christmas to Remember is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film starring Jason Robards, Eva Marie Saint, and Joanne Woodward. Adapted from the 1977 novel ""The Melodeon"" by Glendon Swarthout, it first aired on the CBS network on December 20, 1978. It was filmed in Rush City, Minnesota. Rusty McCloud (George Parry) is sent by his economically-strapped mother (Joanne Woodward) to live on his grandparents' farm one winter during the Great Depression. The grandparents, Daniel Larson (Jason Robards) and his wife Emma (Saint), are still grieving the loss of their son in World War"
"Ernie would often call an invited guest by the wrong name. So André Previn was ""Andrew Preview"", Ian Carmichael was Hoagy Carmichael, Elton John was Elephant John, Vanessa Redgrave was ""Vanilla Redgrave"" and when The Beatles appeared, Ringo Starr was ""Bongo"". Alternatively, one or both would seem not to recognise the famous guest artist at all. The pair would frequently make fun of their old friend, the singer and entertainer Des O'Connor in various disparaging ways. A rhyming example was: ""If you want me to be a goner, get me an LP by Des O'Connor"". Another typical example was ""There's"
"Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas is a posthumous 1977 Christmas television special starring Bing Crosby and his family with special guests Twiggy, David Bowie, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter and Trinity Boys Choir. It includes a duet by the unusual pairing of Crosby and Bowie on ""Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"". It was Crosby's final Christmas special, recorded just five weeks before his death on October 14, 1977. The special was introduced by his widow Kathryn Crosby and was broadcast in the United States on CBS on November 30, 1977, and in the United Kingdom on"
"on 11 September 1977 for Crosby's television special, ""Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas"", which was to be his last. The framing device is that the butler Hudson, portrayed along with other characters during the show by Stanley Baxter, (who is not seen as he is always -ch -ch changing (""He does that a lot."") lets Bowie use his piano, and that Crosby is the poor American cousin. The intergenerational pair exchange scripted dialogue about what they each do on their respective family Christmases and on parenthood, banter about the old ""vis-à-vis"" the new and agents sliding down the chimney, and"
"be taken up by other ITV franchises around the country. The show was hosted by Noel Edmonds with Keith Chegwin, John Craven and, from 1978, Maggie Philbin. Also featured was Posh Paws, a stuffed toy dinosaur. Edmonds once explained that his name was actually spelt ""Pohs Paws"", because that is ""Swap Shop"" backwards as suggested in the phone in by 5 year old Duncan Beck. Another person named was ""Eric"" (Ilett), the often-referred to but never seen technician whose job was to lower a plastic globe containing postcards sent in by viewers as answers to competitions. Eric performed a similar"
"Mr. Krueger's Christmas Mr. Krueger's Christmas is a 1980 American Christmas television special produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints starring James Stewart, directed by Kieth Merrill with story by Michael H. McLean and featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was broadcast on NBC on December 21, 1980. James Stewart plays Willy Krueger, a widowed apartment janitor who lives in a basement flat with his cat George. On a cold Christmas Eve, he daydreams to escape his lonely life: he muses about being a man of culture and means, an ice dance at Temple Square, a sleigh"
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974 TV special) Twas the Night Before Christmas is a 1974 animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and based on the famous 1823 poem that opens with this line. The special first originally aired on CBS on December 8, 1974 where it aired annually until 1994, when The Family Channel (now Freeform) took over its syndication rights. AMC took over syndication rights for the special in 2018. Although the opening credits mention ""told and sung by Joel Grey"", it is really narrated by George Gobel, as there is more emphasis on the point"
"A Gift to Last A Gift to Last is a CBC Television Christmas special broadcast in 1976, a subsequent family drama series that ran from 1978–1979, and a stage play based on the pilot episode. In both the special and series, Gordon Pinsent portrayed North-West Mounted Police officer Sgt Edgar Sturgess. Melvyn Douglas was cast as the senior Clement Sturgess, a nephew of Sgt Edgar Sturgess. The special dramatises Clement's Christmas memories of his life around the year 1900. Mark Polley, the brother of Sarah Polley, was cast in the role of the young Clement. The series was set during"
"Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas is a 1979 animated Christmas television special produced by the Canadian-based Atkinson Film-Arts. It was originally broadcast on CBC and in syndication on December 24, 1979. Tukiki (voiced by Adam Rich) is a small Eskimo boy who sets out to discover the meaning of Christmas along with a magical character known as North Wind (voiced by Sterling Holloway). While on his journey, Tukiki visits different lands with varying cultures and customs. At each of these places, he learns something different about Christmas and is"
"Christmas specials of ""All Star Family Fortunes"" have aired as well. The most iconic aspects of the show are the large computer screen, named ""Mr Babbage"" by original host Bob Monkhouse and the famous computerised ""Eh-uhh"" sound used when wrong answers are given. Both were originally designed to appear high-tech but have since become fondly regarded for being quite the opposite (as compared to the original US ""Feud"", which has used a video board since its 1999 revival). The computer screen name ""Mr Babbage"" was in recognition to the English mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer who originated the concept"
"title off the top of his head. This constrained his writing, but gave him the opening line: ""Did you hear about the plot to overthrow Christmas?"" The play was first broadcast on December 25. By 1940, Corwin was leading CBS's Columbia Workshop, and he again produced ""The Plot to Overthrow Christmas"" on December 22 of that year. CBS had Corwin produce and direct the play a third time on December 19, 1944, with most of the original cast, which included Will Geer as Mephistopheles. Santa Claus was played by House Jameson, and Nero was played by black stage and radio"
"35mm prints. On Christmas Eve, 1944, somewhere in Europe, two World War II U.S. Army soldiers, one a Broadway entertainer, Captain Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby), the other an aspiring entertainer, Private Phil Davis (Danny Kaye), perform for the 151st Division. But, word has come down that their beloved commanding officer, Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger), is being relieved of his command. He arrives for the end of the show and delivers an emotional farewell. The men give him a rousing send-off (""The Old Man""). At the end of the performance, everyone is forced to take cover from an"
"comedy-drama, ""Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"". But this would be remembered as the year the holiday classic ""The Homecoming: A Christmas Story"" (1971), a TV film starring Patricia Neal, was first aired. Critics lavished unqualified praise, including one writer who labeled it ""a lovely pre-holiday program—sweet but never cloying and sparked with humor."" Not only was this production repeated each year at Yuletide throughout the decade, but it also served as the genesis for the long-running family-drama series ""The Waltons"". Thursdays (1971–72): Sundays (1971–72): Summer premieres included the Vince Edwards crime drama ""Hammerhead"" (1968; airing on June 15), the spy"
"the community for help in saving the goose. The Thanksgiving Promise The Thanksgiving Promise is a television-made drama movie, was originally aired on The Disney Sunday Movie on ABC on Sunday Night, November 23, 1986. Travis Tilby (Jordan Bridges) leaps into action when neighbor Stewart Larson (Lloyd Bridges) asks him to mind an ailing goose that's slated to be part of Thanksgiving dinner. A gentle animal lover, Travis dotes on the bird, feeding it by hand and speaking to it in soothing tones. But, as Thanksgiving nears, Travis has second thoughts about seeing the bird slaughtered, and he appeals to"